The T Continuum
by SailorSilvanesti
Summary: AU. Red Arrow, Roy Harper, one of the Original Five...is dead. Nightwing needs Flash's help to realise the blame is not his, there will always be Titans. And maybe, a certain little girl will help too, Lian and her beloved Mr Skootch to the rescue.


**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or any affiliated characters.**

**This sad little fic has been bouncing around in my mind for a while and blocking all other story ideas. I hope you enjoy, even though it may make you cry...**

_Just to be clear, this is AU...as I'm pretty sure he didn't die at any point...I made things up, we call it creative license...though_ I suppose it could also be considered 'too lazy to actually check on the internet, even if that's what google is for...' Which is pretty much the same thing.

**Based on the idea: There will _always_ be Titans.**

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><p><strong>The T Continuum<strong>

**~)0(~**

He looked down the long, long row of blank-eyed statues, some smiling, others grave; all important. All standing for honour, heroism and loss…monuments to the lost ones, those who had given everything to save others and paid the ultimate price with a soft grin on their faces…

These were the ones who should be remembered for who they were and what they did, what they sacrificed, who they saved… And they would be, he would make sure of that.

They all had one small thing in common. The Teen Titans.

Every single statue in that room was a Titan who had died in defence of their world, or their people…rich or poor, friend or foe, family or random stranger, it simply didn't matter; _a life was a life_, as he'd always drilled into them. Sometimes…sometimes he wished he'd never said such things, what was one random human life to the grand scheme of things, anyway? If he hadn't said it so often, so passionately when he talked of their 'duty'…maybe… maybe some of those statues would be unnecessary.

He sighed and looked down the long rows of this…monument? Tomb? Altar? Yes, altar was closest, a monument to the Fallen, where those who now bore their mantles could come and whisper their condolences, fears, hopes, confusion, dreams or problems to those who would always listen without judgement. That was why he was here now.

To speak to those without admonishment in their eyes, without condemnation in their voices; for they had none. Another statue would end up here after today…and it was all his fault. If only he had paid attention to where the Titans were, rather than what Deathstroke had been doing…maybe, just maybe, Red Arrow wouldn't be dead…

Roy had died for something he believed in…that much was true; but what of his daughter? What of little Lian who thought the world of her daddy and the Titans…? Of course, he and Donna would honour their roles as godparents…but it would never be the same without him.

His dark-clad fist slammed into the hard wall behind him in a futile effort to dispel the helpless rage and self-loathing that always accompanied a failure in his duties; he had failed to protect another Titan, one closer than the others, one of the original five. Sometimes he wished someone else could be the Leader, just the once…let them see how hard it was to watch someone fall and then take the recrimination in everyone's eyes.

"Hey…" said a gentle voice, familiar and very soft, to his left side. A red-clad hand slid up to rest on his shoulder, "This isn't your fault, Dick. I…I could have caught the bullet if I'd known, but even I wasn't fast enough this time… Don't blame yourself, no one else does." Wally said, sliding back the hood of his red cowl to reveal concerned forest-green eyes that shone with sadness in the dim light of the mausoleum.

"…if only that were true. You know as well as I, Wally, that I was close enough to push him out of the way…if I hadn't been so distracted by where Slade was I could have-…" he tried to explain, but found the other voice rising in volume over his own. "And then _you_ would be dead instead, and where would that leave the Titans, leaderless! Chaos, Anarchy, …a bad rendition of Apocalypse Now with lots of me screaming and panicking…!" jested the other jovially, smiling carefully, trying not to toy with his emotions.

"Wally, Roy didn't have to die. It was my fault and it _should have been me_, I mean…what am I going to tell Lian? She's only nine, for _X'hal_'s sake…it's hard to hear your parents are dead at that age…" he sighed, images of falling family, striking the ground and seemingly drowning in pools of their own blood, filling his vision. "At least she didn't see it…"

Someone hit him. Hard.

"Stop it! Stop taking all the responsibility for everything, for once in your life! Roy came with us of his own free will, he heard us call out warnings but stayed to make sure a drugged-up Ravager didn't make off with the children. He saved four little girls, Dick, and I think he knew what would happen if he did…that was his choice. I know the Justice League are being tough on you for this, but…ignore them, you know you have my vote in any argument." Stated the speedster vehemently, suddenly stilling and looking down the long rows of former Titans. "_So many_…" he breathed, "_So many have fallen…_"

There were at least two dozen statues and a new niche only just made for Red Arrow's statue, right alongside that of Troia's, for…you know, the _first time_ Donna had died…he smiled slightly; Roy would have liked that.

"When you see them in your dreams, that's when it really hits you…" he offered, shocking the redhead, "Sometimes it's just random memories of working with them, or casually hanging out in the tower…other times, there are nights when all you can see are their screaming faces, their dead eyes gazing up with such blame in them there's no other cause of action available than to wake up. Being the Leader is harder than it seems, but no one seems to understand that… It's easy to blame someone else." His voice started sharply and tailed off half-way through, though the last line was filled with bitterness.

He felt Wally open his mouth to speak, but a small hand slipped into his own gloved one as an unexpected, high voice said, "I don't blame you, Uncle Dick. Daddy's gone to Heaven, like mummy did…he told me all about how you can do anything you want there… Besides, I have you and Aunty Donna to look after me now!" smiled the little girl, clutching tightly to him, faint tear tracks had dried against her skin and belied the look of happiness she gave him.

For once in his life, no clever retort or even a simple thought, came to mind. Lian had floored him, completely. Great, now he was being out-manoeuvred emotionally by a nine-year-old. "Don't forget Uncle Wally!" yelled an excited voice and grabbed the suddenly-giggling girl, lifting her up and tickling. "Hehehehehee….I could never forget you, Uncle Wally! You always like to play racy-horse with me!" she laughed.

Wally gave him one of those, '_Well…?_' looks and gestured with his eyes to the girl now holding her arms up to be held by him. Dick knelt slightly and picked her up, Lian clutched tightly to his shoulder, "I lied a little before Uncle Dick, and I'm sorry…I know Heaven is a nice place…but I would like Daddy to be home with me, instead… I miss him. I-…I promise to be good and not make too much noise if you can bring him back…please, Uncle Dick?" Small tears pooled and fell from her eyes, he wiped them away. "Lian, your father died saving four other little girls just like you from being taken away…I know it hurts, but it will get better. He's gone to Heaven, like he said, and it's okay to be sad. Remember when I told you that story about my parents…? Well, it's a little like that. You will _always_ miss him, but don't worry, we're going to put a big statue off him in here and you are always welcome to come and see him whenever you want."

"W-will he be listening if …if I talk to him here?" she asked in that small child's voice that tore at the heartstrings. "Of course he will, honey!" assured Wally, patting her head gently, "Here and at that special place in the cemetery we showed you, only for Titans. He's watching you even now, wouldn't be surprised if he was very proud at how brave you're being."

"_I don't want to be brave…_" she whispered almost inaudibly into Dick's ear, "_I just want Daddy back._" He patted her back as she sobbed into his neck, walking with Flash alongside, in a steady pace down the long corridor of statues, looking at each face in turn. He stopped at the empty base in the newest niche, glaring harshly at the ornate plaque with the inscription in beautiful handwriting, "RED ARROW, _Roy Harper Died March 13__th__ 2011, Saving Children. _A Titan to the End_._"

He turned away and tore off his mask, it was ridiculously symbolic, but he was definitely sick of hiding behind this persona of nonchalance and stone. Lian wiggled at his neck, "Uncle Dick…?" she asked tentatively. "Yes, Princess…?" he responded half-aware that that was her favourite endearment, blinking as Wally blurred and reappeared with something the girl had once entitled 'Mr Skootch' as she shoved it excitedly in his face. Right now, though, she snuggled it close to her.

"There's so many statues here…_will they be listening to what I tell daddy, too_?" she whispered, worriedly. He nearly laughed, but held the impulse in check. "Oh no, we Titans are very discrete, they wouldn't listen in if you asked them not to…but they will always protect you like we will. Being a Titan is forever; it's family, and it means never being alone." He said back, softly.

Lian seemed to consider this a moment, taking a second to have a silent conversation with 'Mr Skootch' with a lot of vigorous head-nodding involved, before she finally asked, "Then…can I be a Teen Titan too…?"

"Sure, Princess, when you're older…hence the 'Teen' part…" he said, turning and walking back towards the entrance to the mausoleum, silently acknowledging each Titan as they passed by, and musing on the future. So…he and Donna had agreed if this day ever came, -_which they both had ferverently prayed it never would_- that both of them would move into her old apartment together…the one she used to share with Kori, and Lian could have the extra room off the main hall… Life was about to get very interesting for their civilian identities, it would never be the same. School, sports, friends, sleepovers, tantrums, you're-not-wearing-that-outside and all manner of '_You're Grounded!'_, '_Where were you, do you know what time it is, young lady?_'and, '_Don't make me come up/back there!'_ were definite certainties… and to top it all off, she wanted to be a crime-fighter as well…? _Hmmm…_only if she ate all her broccoli…and there would be a _lot_ of broccoli, if Donna had anything to say about the cooking.

He passed her and _Mr Skootch_ over to Wally, who swept his cowl back on and beamed as Dick said, "Why don't you tell your Uncle Wally what kind of costume you might like…?" He fairly imagined the child ending up in a violently pink tutu-fairy-princess outfit, complete with wings, wand and tiara…she did not disappoint in her vivid descriptions. Which Wally only paused once to say, as a parting shot, "As long as you don't request pixie boots or scaly green underoos, we can make it happen!" and sped off with her cradled close.

He slid his mask back on in anticipation of speaking to the other Titans who had yet to hear the sad news, and took one last, long look at the Titans immortalised for all eternity in stone, Titans past, present and future would gaze upon them in wonder and worship. And so it should be.

For, as long as there was evil in this world, there would always be Teen Titans. Of this he was certain.

As Nightwing slid closed the ornate double doors to the Hall of Memory, he found himself whispering the old battle-cry around a weak grin, "Titans Together, _Together Forever_." And, reflecting on how true it really was…then turned and walked away, he had a little girl to go and raise.

~)0(~

From a long way away in Time and Space, Roy Harper smiled, arm around Cheshire…their little girl was going to be _juuuuust _fine. Her Guardians, though, may not survive…

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><p><strong>The End...?<strong>

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><p><strong>There you go.<strong>

**Short, Sad, Beautiful and hopefully, made the point.**

**There will always be Titans, as long as we love them...**

**~*SailorSilvanesti*~**


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